Maze of Darkness
by Above the Winter Moonlight
Summary: 2 Years Post-TPM AU When Anakin Skywalker is kidnapped during a mission to the monarchy planet of Alzar, Obi-Wan Kenobi must use his fledgling bond with his Padawan in order to find him before its’ too late…FS inside R
1. One

_**Maze of Darkness**_

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_**Full Summary:**__ While on a mission to the planet of Alzar, Anakin Skywalker finds himself kidnapped by a band of ruthless beings intent on disrupting the prophecy. As Anakin struggles to survive, he finds help in a new ally. All the while, Obi-Wan Kenobi must use the fledgling bond between himself and his Padawan to find him before its' too late. But their bond shall be put to the ultimate test, whereas if they fail, the Republic will be plunged into darkness._

_**Genre:**__ Friendship/Drama_

_**Rating:**__ T for safety, language, and violence_

_**Main Characters:**__ Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi_

_**Author's Note:**__ Well, this is the first chapter of the story that will replace __A New Divide__. I'm trying to get my dad into continuing __AND__ but he is busy and yeah so if anyone would like to continue it, they may. So I hope you like this story, there are OC's in this story as well as two pairings that some of you will like while some of you will not like. Well, yeah, enough rambling, I hope you enjoy this starter chapter and reviews are much appreciated._

_**Disclaimer-** I don't own Star Wars, George Lucas does and I never will and I'm only saying this once_

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**One**

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It was a late night; space was silent and cold, as it usually is whenever someone is traveling through the vast abyss of nothing but stars that glittered in existence in the black darkness. The ship glided smoothly through the silent abyss as Captain Anayn punched in the coordinates for the sector they were currently heading to.

"I wonder why the Alzarians insisted on Jedi coming to negotiate a treaty between them and the humans that immigrated there. We all know how Jedi negotiate," Anayn murmured.

"How should I know? For all we know, the Alzarians are more comfortable with the Jedi than they are with the Senators of the Republic," Anayn's second in command, a Twi'lek with green lekku over his shoulder known was Avas, said.

Anayn shrugged. "Maybe so, there isn't much known about the Alzarians, however," he replied with a slight shrug. "For all we know, they are hostile toward the Republic, this system is located near the Outer Rim after all."

"That is true," Avas agreed. He narrowed his eyes as the door to the cockpit slide open and Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi walked into the cockpit. For being only twenty-one years of age, Obi-Wan looked slightly older than he actually was. His reddish brown hair was slowly starting to grow out and his gray-blue eyes seemed to hold a wisdom that was not there two years ago.

Anayn has always liked Obi-Wan; he was one of the very few Jedi that got along with everyone of the ship's crewmembers but his frustration was starting to grow, directed at Obi-Wan's Padawan, the eleven year old Anakin Skywalker who always seemed to like tinkering with the mechanics of the ship they were currently flying.

"How far are we from the Gordian Sector?" Obi-Wan asked narrowing his eyes as he scanned the bluish white flashes of hyperspace.

"About another day's travel," Avas was the one that replied after he checked on the navacomputer.

Obi-Wan nodded once in reply though his eyes were still narrowed. Anayn hesitated for a split second before asking, "What are you going to do about your apprentice?"

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed even more. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, it's just, he's been tinkering around with the mechanics of the ship and I'm afraid he's going to cause the ship to fall right out of the sky," Anayn replied.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "He's very good at mechanics," he replied with a shrug but, seeing Anayn's doubtful look, sighed. "Very well, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," Anayn said.

Obi-Wan sighed. "How many times have I told you, Anayn? If we are going to be traveling together, call me Obi-Wan," he protested.

Avas chuckled and Anayn glared at him. "Just concentrate on flying, Avas," he snapped.

"Whatever you said, Captain," Avas replied smiling before turning his attention to the navacomputer in front of him. Anayn glanced up at Obi-Wan as the young Jedi Knight walked out of the cockpit and the door slide close behind him.

"That Obi-Wan is one strange man," Avas commented after the silence lengthened for several long moments.

"Indeed, he seems too calm for his own good, he is only twenty-one and yet he seems like he is several years older than that. I guess the one who trained him, trained him well," Anayn replied with a shrug.

Avas smiled. "Maybe so," he replied.

~*~

Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't one to keep everything bottled inside; whenever he was feeling sad, he would come out and say that he was sad and get some advice from his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. Whenever he was frustrated, he would go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains to meditate and release himself of that frustration.

But all those times he had his master watching over him; gently coaching him and guiding him to the point where he would be ready to take the trials. Obi-Wan had thought his master would have been there when he took the trials, would have been watching over him when the Knighthood ceremony had been performed but he wasn't.

He was dead, having been killed by that Sith Lord that Obi-Wan had killed in retaliation, being the first Jedi in a thousand years to kill a Sith Lord.

But even after two years since Qui-Gon funeral pyre and the apprentice naming ceremony that had made Anakin Skywalker his apprentice, Obi-Wan couldn't help but miss his former master.

He let out a long sigh before making his way toward the hyper drive reactor room, where he was sure his Padawan was. For being only eleven years old, Anakin seemed to have a tendency of being in places where he was not wanted and tinkering with things that did not need to be fixed.

He walked into the reactor room and Anakin rolled out from under the control panel he had been working under. He seemed a bit hesitant when he noticed who was standing in the doorway. "Sorry, master, but I noticed one of the wires was loose and I wanted to fix it before we dropped out of hyperspace," he said.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Captain Anayn told me to tell you to stop tinkering with the mechanics of the ship," he said.

Anakin stood up. "Sorry," he said again. Anakin always had the habit of saying sorry every time Obi-Wan told him he had done something wrong or implied that he had done something wrong. The boy seemed a bit afraid of Obi-Wan because of the almost depressed state that Obi-Wan has been trying to drag himself out of since Qui-Gon's death.

Anakin yawned and Obi-Wan examined the boy in front of him. "You look tired," he said.

Anakin lowered his head. "Yeah, I haven't gotten much sleep since we left Coruscant," he said.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you go take a nap? I'll wake you up when we reach Alzar," he said.

Anakin hesitated. "I'm all right, master," he said.

"You're tired, Anakin, I can sense it, just take a nap. I should have given you a chance to catch up on your sleep before we left Coruscant but Mace told me that this mission was too important to push off," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded though his eyes were narrowed. "All right, master," he said. He walked past Obi-Wan out of the reactor room and Obi-Wan watched him go before sighing and following him.

~*~

Anakin rested his head on his arms before closing his eyes but he couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan really saw him as his Padawan or if he was just a burden. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was still grieving for his lost master, in spite of the fact that it has been two years.

_Did he really want to take me as his Padawan?_ He wondered silently._ Or did he just do it because it was Master Qui-Gon's dying wish?_

Too many questions swarmed around in Anakin's brain and he found himself thinking about his mother. The last time he had seen his mother had been just before he had left Tatooine with Qui-Gon and he couldn't help but wonder how his mother was doing.

The many questions that were in his mind kept Anakin from falling asleep and he rolled onto his back before gazing up at the ceiling of the ship as it slowly made its' way through the silence of space.

Anakin didn't know how much time had passed before Obi-Wan walked back into the lobby of the ship before narrowing his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" he asked.

Anakin shook his head. "I can't sleep," he said. He frowned when he heard his stomach growl. "I'm a little hungry," he added.

Obi-Wan nodded before walking toward the compartments that lay above the floor of the ship before coming back with some food before handing it to Anakin who ate it, a bit too swiftly. "Slow down, Anakin," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin nodded before slowly finishing up his food. "Master, can I ask you something?" he asked when he finished his food and put the plate down.

"What is it, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, I was just wondering…" before Anakin could finish his question, Lieutenant Avas walked into the lobby of the ship.

"Obi-Wan, we've entered the sector and we are currently making our way toward Alzar," Avas said.

"Thank you, Avas," Obi-Wan replied with a slight nod and Avas nodded before walking back into the cockpit of the ship. Obi-Wan turned his gaze to Anakin but Anakin sighed.

"Never mind," he murmured.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? You know you can talk to me, I am your master after all," he said, he said the last part a bit hesitantly and Anakin once again wondered if Obi-Wan really wanted to be his master or if it was just to honor Qui-Gon's dying wish.

The eleven-year-old boy stood up before following Obi-Wan as he led the way into the cockpit. Anayn and Avas glanced up. "Is the Alzarian Monarchy expecting you?" Avas asked curiously.

"They should be, they were the ones that sent the message," Obi-Wan replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because they are saying that they are not expecting us," Anayn replied.

"Republic Ship, what is your purpose here?" the voice demanded over the comlink.

"We received a message from King Kyva and he said that he wished to speak with a Jedi about the crisis going on between the Alzarian Monarchy and the humans that have immigrated there," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "Master, what if they really don't know that we were supposed to come?" he asked.

"I am quite certain that the message you received was not sent from the Alzarian Monarchy, we did not request a Jedi's help so leave this system before we shoot you down," the voice said.

"It was a legitimate message, if you will just allow me to speak with King Kyva…" Obi-Wan began, ignoring Anakin and Anakin scowled at that, but broke off when a series of red blaster fire caught the side of the ship.

"What do we do now, Obi-Wan?" Anayn said.

Obi-Wan frowned. "If you will just allow us to land and speak with King Kyva than I am sure we can resolve this matter," he replied to the voice.

"One moment please." There was a long moment of silence before the voice came back onto the intercom. "Very well, you are cleared to land in docking bay 44 and we will send people to escort you to King Kyva's palace."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said and the intercom went dead.

Anakin glanced up at his master, a bit hurt that Obi-Wan had ignored him. "Master, I honestly don't think they knew anything about the message," he said.

"It was a legitimate message, young one," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"But they sounded so confused and I can sense that they are a bit hostile, why would someone be confused and hostile if they were seeking help from us?" Anakin asked.

"Anakin, sometimes not everything is what they seem to be, you have to get a sense of everything. If you can sense that they are hostile and confused, look at the whole picture. That was one person you felt, that does not mean everyone is just like him," Obi-Wan said. "You need to learn to clear your thoughts and look at the picture at whole and not just bits and pieces of it or you will never find the small details that will show you what you need to know."

Anakin lowered his head. "Sorry master," he said. He knew that when Obi-Wan began talking to him with similar proverbs that reminded him of the man he had learned from Master Yoda that he was scolding his carelessness. _But what if I'm not wrong?_ He thought._ What if they really are hostile and confused by this sudden arrival?_

Obi-Wan, as if hearing his thoughts, narrowed his eyes. "As I said, Padawan, look at the whole picture, not just a certain part, or you'll never see the small details that will show you what you are truly seeking," he said.

Anakin sighed before nodding and following Obi-Wan as he led the way out of the ship after Anayn and Avas landd the ship. "Wait here," he ordered the captain and lieutenant who nodded in reply before stopping and watching as Obi-Wan and Anakin made their way onto the landscape of the planet of Alzar.

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**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: for those of you who don't know, Anayn, Avas and Kyva are the OC's in this chapter**

**Darth: no duh**

**Blaze: GO COLTS GO!**

**Tigerstar: what the hell?**

**Blaze: sorry I was watching the game between the Colts and the Jets when I typed this chapter**

**Tigerstar: oh okay**

**Palpypie: GO COWBOYS!**

**Blaze: Cowboys' died**

**Darth: just like you will**

**Palpypie: why this time?**

**Blaze: because I don't like you**

**Darth: because I don't like you either**

**Palpypie: AH COME ON! (Takes off running)**

**Darth: works every time, Mace, take care of my light work**

**Mace: sure thing, I hate the cowboys too (chases after Palpypie)**

**Blaze: (laughs) please review and I will post chapter 2 as fast as I possibly can and no offense to any Dallas Cowboy fans out there, I just don't like that team.**


	2. Two

**Blaze: hiya peoples**

**Darth: FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Tigerstar: what's with the seventeen exclamation points?**

**Blaze: there's no telling with him**

**Palpypie: hi**

**Darth: die! (Brings out a bazooka)**

**Palpypie: bye (takes off running)**

**Darth: kill him**

**Random Army of Hyenas: yes sir (chases after Palpypie)**

**Palpypie: what the heck? Talking Hyenas?Random Army of Hyenas: FOOOD!!!!!!!!! (Attacks Palpypie)**

**Palpypie: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (Hitches a ride on a random plane)**

**Random Pilot: (Ejects him out of the plane)**

**Blaze: (laughs) here is chapter 2 and I hope you like it**

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**Two**

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Alzar was a very unusual planet in Anakin's eyes; it was dry with deserts and plains lying scattered across the landscape. The city they were currently walking into was the only inhabitant city on Alzar and Anakin, when he had read up on the planet, knew that it was known as Royal City.

A large palace made out of stone rose up at one end of the city, shedding shadows across the city and a sun rose high into the sky, shedding golden rays onto the almost silent city. Obi-Wan was walking almost cautiously in front of him as a round, green skinned reptilian alien walked over to join them.

"Welcome Master Jedi, I honestly did not expect to see you here so soon," the alien said.

Obi-Wan looked a bit confused. "The message you sent was legitimate and it said that you required our services immediately," he said.

The alien narrowed his eyes again. "I honestly did not believe the Jedi Order would have sent you so soon. We were planning on negotiating a treaty with the humans but everything has gone wrong but we had hoped if we gave them some time with the negotiations, we would have come to an understanding but alas that has not happened," he said. He paused for a moment. "I forgot my manners, I am King Kyva, ruler of the Alzarians," he added.

"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker," Obi-Wan said. Kyva nodded once before falling into step beside Obi-Wan, Anakin walked behind them and he noticed that many other reptilian Alzarian were surrounding them on all sides; he figured these were Kyva's personal guards.

"I trust that your journey here was pleasant," Kyva said glancing at Obi-Wan.

"We ran into some complications but other than that, yes the journey here was pleasant," Obi-Wan replied.

"What complications might those be?" Kyva asked curiously.

"The one in charge of the landing procedures would not let us land," Obi-Wan replied. "He said that the Alzarian Monarchy never sent the message and they would not permit us to land. That was until I asked them to allow us to speak with you and then they allowed us to land."

"I am deeply sorry about that. I did not tell them that you would be arriving because I did not expect you to arrive so soon," Kyva replied.

Obi-Wan nodded once as Kyva led the way toward the palace that lay at the other end of the city. Anakin narrowed his eyes as he examined the palace that lay in front of him and he tuned back into Kyva's conversation.

"We have made some accommodations for you to stay within the palace, if that will suit you, Master Jedi," Kyva said.

"That will be all right, thank you, your Majesty," Obi-Wan said lowering his head.

Anakin gazed around as they neared the palace and he noticed the air was alive with tension and a bit of hostility. He glanced up at Obi-Wan as his master came to a stop, Kyva had moved ahead to lead the guards into the palace.

"Master, I sense tension and hostility here," Anakin said softly.

"It makes sense, they are being faced with a threat from the immigrating humans for many months, it is not surprising that they are tense and hostile toward newcomers, especially humans like us," Obi-Wan replied and then he feel silent and Anakin gazed at him before looking away. _Maybe I shouldn't talk with him this much, am I getting annoying?_ He wondered silently as he followed his master deeper into the palace grounds.

~*~

Obi-Wan examined Anakin curiously as they walked down the hallway of the palace after King Kyva. He could sense the almost quiet distress that Anakin was feeling and he couldn't help but wonder why his Padawan was feeling distressed. _Am I not being a good mentor to him? _He wondered silently.

It wasn't as if he wanted Anakin as his Padawan, in some sights he did but that was only because Qui-Gon's dying wish had been for him to take Anakin as his Padawan. _Is that really the only reason?_ he thought.

Anakin looked tired but Obi-Wan knew that Anakin didn't get much sleep when they were traveling through hyperspace toward Alzar. "Anakin, when we get to our rooms, why don't you get some sleep?" Obi-Wan said.

"But aren't the negotiations going to be starting soon?" Anakin asked. The boy was always so full of questions that it reminded him of himself when he had been chosen as Qui-Gon's Padawan. Just thinking about his former master brought tears to his eyes and Obi-Wan had to blink his eyes several times to stop the tears from sliding down his face.

"Yes but you need your rest, I will come and get you for dinner," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin lowered his head. "All right master," he murmured and Obi-Wan thought he sounded a bit…hurt? _Why would he sound hurt when he should know that he needs rest?_ He wondered silently.

When they came to a stop outside their room, Anakin slipped into it and the door slide close behind him. Obi-Wan watched the door for a long moment before turning his gaze to Kyva who was examining him curiously.

"If you are more comfortable with staying with your Padawan, we can move the negotiations until tomorrow," Kyva said.

Obi-Wan hesitated for a split second. _Anakin will be fine by himself until dinnertime,_ he told himself silently. "It would be best if we started the negotiations right away," he replied out loud. "I'm sure Anakin will be fine for a few hours, he needs his rest after all."

"Very well then," Kyva said before taking the lead and leading the way down the hallway of the palace.

~*~

Anakin let out a long sigh as he rested his head on the pillow of the bed that lay in one of the rooms of the house. He figured there was no point in asking Obi-Wan which room he wanted, Obi-Wan probably just thought of him as a nuisance. _Maybe he never did want me to be his Padawan,_ he thought as he closed his eyes.

_His dreams were filled with horror; flames crawled all over the place and the smell of ash and soot was in the air. Anakin narrowed his eyes as he gazed around; he didn't recognize the planet that he was on but it seemed like a volcanic planet._

_He gazed around as he struggled to figure out where he was; he was surrounded by darkness and the climbing flames that seemed to enclose him on all sides. _Where am I?_ He thought gazing at the flames with growing horror but he couldn't seem to escape from the flames._

_And suddenly the dream changed and Anakin found himself staring at the face of his mother. His mother was staring back at him with pride and sadness in his eyes but when Anakin attempted to move forward to hug her and greet her, the figure seemed to be moving away._

"_Mom! Mom!" Anakin cried stretching out a hand but when he touched his mom, he felt a cold wall in front of him. His mother was surrounded by a block of ice; it was as though there was a shield of ice preventing Anakin from reaching his mom._

"_Mom," he whispered stretching out a hand to touch the ice and suddenly the thin shield of ice and his mother standing behind it suddenly shattered into a million pieces leaving Anakin standing in the middle of a dark abyss._

"_Mom!" he cried as the dream shattered._

\----/

Anakin's eyes shot open and he gasped as he sat up rapidly on his bed; his body seemed to be covered with sweat and his eyes were filled with fear. He gazed around and noticed he was in his bed in the room inside the Alzarian royal palace. He gazed out at the sky and saw the moon was slowly starting to rise into the sky, shedding silvery rays of light onto the landscape below.

_Wait a minute, wasn't Obi-Wan supposed to come to take e to dinner?_ He thought as he got to his feet. He pushed his Padawan braid off of his shoulder before gazing around._ Did he forget about me?_ He wondered silently.

As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door. "Anakin, are you awake?" Obi-Wan's voice sounded outside. Anakin gazed at the door before walking over to the door and pressing the door release button just as Obi-Wan raised his hand to knock again.

"Good, you're up, King Kyva is waiting for us in the dining hall," Obi-Wan said before he turned around and led the way out of the room. Anakin followed him though he still couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan had just remembered at the last minute a decided to come and get him.

~*~

Though Anakin would never know it, Obi-Wan had forgotten about Anakin. He had only just remembered when Kyva reminded him about his Padawan. The young Jedi Knight knew that if he wanted to fulfill his promise to Qui-Gon, he would have to pay more mind to his young Padawan. Anakin was very reckless and Obi-Wan knew that it was going to take a long while before he can complete the boy's training.

Anakin was silent as they made their way toward the royal dining hall but Obi-Wan wasn't too sure as to how he was supposed to talk with his young apprentice. There were things that Anakin has experienced that Obi-Wan would never have been able to experience and one of those things was Anakin's mother.

Obi-Wan has never known his mother; he had been brought to the Jedi Temple when he was in infancy and grew up around the Jedi Knights, Padawans and younglings at the Temple. He didn't know if he could train someone who has been in the care of his mother on the desert planet of Tatooine in spite of the fact that Anakin has been his apprentice for two years now.

When they entered the dining hall, Kyva glanced up from where he was sitting at the head of the group. Two other Alzarian were sitting at his side, they were not quite as big as Kyva but their green skin contrasted with the brown surroundings of the dining room.

"Welcome Knight Obi-Wan and Padawan Anakin," Kyva greeted them.

"Your Majesty," Obi-Wan replied lowering his head in greeting to the king before glancing at Anakin as his young Padawan did the same.

"May I introduce my son Vrylt and my wife Gryla," Kyva said gesturing to the two Alzarian that were sitting beside him. The two of them nodded in greeting and Kyva turned his attention back to the Jedi. "Please, take a seat," he added in his highly accented Basic.

Obi-Wan nodded before motioning for Anakin to take a seat and he sat down beside him at the dining table. "As I said, your Majesty, the Jedi are keepers of the peace and we are not going to fight this war for you if we can help it," he said.

"I understand, I do wish to solve this through peaceful negotiations," Kyva agreed. He glanced up as more Alzarian made their way into the dining hall and placed some plates of food onto the table.

"We know that our food would not be to your tasting so we did our best to cook food that would be more to your liking," Kyva added and Obi-Wan nodded in reply before he glanced at his eleven-year-old Padawan as Anakin began serving himself.

"Thank you for your hospitality," the Jedi Knight said as he too began serving himself.

"There is no need, Master Jedi," the Alzarian King replied calmly. Obi-Wan nodded before he started to eat and he could tell Anakin was doing the same though the boy looked more exhausted than when he had first entered their room. Obi-Wan frowned in worry. _Is he all right?_ he thought as he examined the boy but when Anakin glanced at him, he blinked before turning his attention back to the Alzarian King.

When they were done, Vrylt pushed his plate away. "I am going for a walk in the courtyard, Father," he said.

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin. "May my Padawan go with you? He looks as though he could use the fresh air," he said. Anakin glanced up indignantly but Obi-Wan ignored him and Vrylt nodded.

"Sure, come on, Anakin, I'll show you the waterfall," the young Alzarian Prince said.

Anakin got to his feet. "Okay," he said before he jogged after Vrylt without once glancing at Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan felt a pang of resentment come off of Anakin. He also noticed that it wasn't directed at Obi-Wan but at himself.

_Why would he resent himself?_ Obi-Wan wondered silently as he watched Anakin go. Anakin disappeared out of the dining hall and Obi-Wan, biting his lip to keep from sighing, returned his attention to the Alzarian King.

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: well, this is a short chapter**

**Darth: well, it certainly ain't as long as the last chapter**

**Blaze: well duh**

**Blaze: Darth?**

**Blaze: (sighs)**

**Tigerstar: Darth always disappears huh?**

**Palpypie: yup**

**Tigerstar: um, where's Blaze?**

**Palpypie: I don't know**

**Tigerstar: that's where Blaze went, your scary face chased her away**

**Palpypie: why you little runt?! (Shoots Force lightning at Tigerstar)**

**Anakin: (scowls angrily before stabbing Palpypie with his lightsaber and stalking off)**

**Tigerstar's Ghost: nice going, you pissed off Anakin**

**Palpypie's Ghost: I didn't do anything**

**Blaze: (laughs) please review and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I possibly can but I doubt it will be anytime soon.**


	3. Three

**Blaze: yay! Time for the next chapter**

**Darth: yay!**

**Blaze: man, I only have six reviews for this story, I guess Anakin/Obi-Wan friendship stories don't get that many reviews.**

**Darth: it's not that, it's a matter of you haven't even gotten close to the climax yet**

**Blaze: oh okay**

**Poseidon: hi**

**Blaze: wrong story**

**Zeus: hi**

**Hades: hi**

**Blaze: like I told your brother, wrong story**

**Kronos: hi**

**Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades: Dad?!**

**Blaze: DIE! (Shoots Kronos with her bazooka, stabs him with her silver lightsaber, candy sword, shoots him with a bunch of candy arrows from a candy bow and pushes his remains into the Pit of Tartarus)**

**Kronos: not again!**

**Poseidon: hahahahaha**

**Blaze: (laughs) here is chapter three, I hope you like it and sorry if its' short but hey I was tired when I typed this chapter. Oh and in response to one of my reviews:**

**ULTIMATESTARWARSGAL:** I put it that way because it is only two years after TPM and so I see the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan as a bit rocky. This is an AU for many reasons, other than that, but I'm not going to tell you the reason however.

* * *

**Three**

* * *

Anakin narrowed his eyes as he followed Vrylt out into the courtyard of the palace on the planet of Alzar. The sky above was clear and Anakin could see many plump, scaled Alzarians roaming the courtyard, some of them were dressed in armor while others looked like Gryla and Anakin figured they were women.

Anakin couldn't help but wonder why his master had sent him out here. _Was I being a nuisance to him? _He wondered silently. Vrylt glanced at him as Anakin came to a stop beside the waterfall.

"Are you all right?" he asked in his accented basic.

"Yes, I am fine, your Highness," Anakin replied. He gazed at the waterfall before narrowing his eyes.

"I sure hope Master Jedi Obi-Wan can help negotiate a treaty between us and the humans that are migrating here," Vrylt said with a long sigh.

Anakin nodded though he couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan didn't want him to come along on this mission. He sighed and Vrylt glanced at him a questioning look in the young Alzarian Prince's eyes.

"I can't help but feel as though Master Obi-Wan doesn't want me here," Anakin murmured.

Vrylt smiled slightly. "My father told me that Obi-Wan said that you were a very competent apprentice," he said softly. "I'm sure Obi-Wan wouldn't want to have left you behind."

"Thanks," Anakin replied with a small smile but he couldn't help but not believe the Prince's words. Vrylt sat down beside the waterfall before glancing up at Anakin.

"Why don't you join me?" he suggested glancing up at Anakin.

He nodded in reply before sitting down beside the waterfall and gazing at the water that flowed down over the edge of the stone wall and down into the pool. The eleven-year-old boy stretched out a hand before touching the water and wincing as the coldness touched his skin.

"So what exactly is this feud between you and the humans who have moved here," Anakin asked turning his electric blue gaze to Vrylt.

The Alzarian prince shrugged. "When they started attacking settlements where our people were living," he said.

Anakin nodded. "Obi-Wan is very good at negotiating treaties," he said. "I'm sure this feud will end soon."

Vrylt nodded somberly. "I hope so," he replied.

Darkness began to crawl across the palace walls as the sun disappeared below the horizon. Anakin shivered as a cold breeze slapped against his skin and Vrylt glanced at him as well.

"It's getting cold out here," the Prince said.

Anakin nodded. "Do you want to go back inside?" he asked.

Vrylt nodded. "Very well," he replied before getting to his feet and Anakin followed his lead. Suddenly a sense of danger washed over him and Anakin whirled around, his hand instantly going to the lightsaber on his belt. When he had first became Obi-Wan's apprentice, the other Jedi at the Jedi Temple had given him a lightsaber until he was old enough to build his own. Anakin hardly knew how to wield it but he was glad that he could use it as a light source, if only slightly.

"What's the matter?" Vrylt asked as Anakin ignited the greenish blue blade and held it out in front of him as he attempted to search for the location of the danger.

A sudden explosion sounded nearby and both Vrylt and Anakin were thrown backwards, crashing into the building of the wall. Scream of pain and shouted orders echoed all over the courtyard as dark shapes began to swarm into the courtyard.

"Your Highness, are you all right?" Anakin asked moving the lightsaber so that he could find the Prince.

Vrylt glanced up at him. "Yes, I am all right," he replied.

Blaster fire surged throughout the clearing and Anakin could see his master's blue blade igniting nearby but suddenly he felt something pointed to his throat and the light of his lightsaber allowed him to see the barrel pointed at Vrylt's throat as well.

"Get up and give up your lightsaber," a low voice said. "Or we'll shoot your friend, Jedi."

Anakin, knowing, in spite of the fact that he was eleven, that he couldn't put Prince Vrylt into danger, deactivated the lightsaber before gazing around and struggling to stretch out through the fledgling bond he had with Obi-Wan.

_Master help!_ He sent silently just as the person in front of him, swearing under his breath as a blaster bolt flew past him and hit the third member of their group, swung the blaster rapidly and it slammed hard against Anakin's head.

Anakin crumpled onto the ground and was conscious enough only long enough to see Vrylt collapse beside him and then there was nothing.

~*~

_Master help!_ Obi-Wan gazed around rapidly as his Padawan's voice sounded loudly in his mind and then the voice was silent. Obi-Wan couldn't see anything because of the darkness that lay around the courtyard.

_Anakin? Anakin?!_ Obi-Wan called silently but nothing answered his calls and worry began to crawl through Obi-Wan. He knew that he hadn't been paying much attention to his Padawan because he had been grieving for his master but the fact that his Padawan wasn't replying to his calls was starting to worry him.

_Anakin! _he called silently again using his blue lightsaber to try and light up the darkness but he couldn't see anything until he spotted two dark shapes hurrying quickly across the courtyard as if they were attempting to escape unnoticed.

Obi-Wan felt torn, his Padawan was alone and possibly injured and he wanted so much to go after him but he also knew that he couldn't leave King Kyva while a battle was being fought in the very courtyard of his palace.

"Go, Master Jedi," Kyva said suddenly and Obi-Wan glanced sharply at him, his gray-blue eyes widening. "Your apprentice needs you, I will be all right."

Obi-Wan hesitated, he wasn't even sure why he was going after Anakin but the boy sounded as though he was in pain and that caused more worry to crawl through Obi-Wan's body.

"Very well, take care of yourself," Obi-Wan said. Kyva nodded and the Jedi Knight flipped over a group of the fighters before hurrying after the two people that were trying so hard to escape but they had disappeared and the gates looked as though they were blown open.

Another great explosion shook the ground and Obi-Wan nearly lost his balance but he managed to keep his balance and, using the Force, he leapt onto the wall of the palace before narrowing his eyes as he strained to see through the darkness.

_Anakin!_ He called silently but again silence greeted his words and Obi-Wan couldn't help but wonder, no hope, that Anakin was all right.

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: yeah, I know that was a very short chapter**

**Darth: yup it was**

**Blaze: sooooo**

**Kronos: hi**

**Blaze: die!**

**Kronos: Don't kill me and I'll kill Palpypie for you!**

**Blaze: (puts away nuclear missile) okay**

**Kronos: (picks up Palpypie before tossing him into a random volcano)**

**Volcano: I hate you! (Tosses Palpypie out into the middle of space)**

**Space: I hate you! (Tosses Palpypie into a vast plane of nothingness)**

**Vast Plane of Nothingness: I hate you! (Tosses Palpypie into Blaze's computer room)**

**Blaze: you said you would kill him! (Shoots nuclear missile at Kronos before tossing him into the Pit of Tartarus)**

**Kronos: I didn't know everything hated him**

**Palpypie: no one likes me (sad)**

**Blaze: (shoots Palpypie to the moon)**

**The Moon: I hate you! (Shoots Palpypie to Venus)**

**Venus: I hate you! (Shoots Palpypie at Zeus)**

**Zeus: I hate you! (Electrocutes Palpypie to death)**

**Death: I hate you! (Kicks Palpypie into Poseidon)**

**Poseidon: I hate you! (Drowns Palpypie to death)**

**Death: I said I hate you! (Tosses Palpypie into Blaze's computer room)**

**Blaze: wow, you weren't kidding**

**Jar-Jar: mesa like yousa!**

**Blaze: (light bulb pops up above her head) I just got an idea (picks up Palpypie and locks him in the same room with Jar-Jar)**

**Jar-Jar: yay! Company!**

**Room: Why me?!**

**Blaze: (laughs) please review and I will post chapter 4 as soon as I possibly can. Sorry for the short chapter and long author's note and I promise you chapter 4 will be longer than this chapter, so long as I get a few more reviews so please review.**


	4. Four

**Blaze: finally I was able to do the next chapter**

**Darth: it's been what, a year?**

**Blaze: it has not been that long**

**Darth: it feels like it**

**Blaze: oh shut up or I'm tossing you into the Death Star**

**Darth: (pulls out can of green spray paint) but it did**

**Blaze: (tosses Darth at the Death Star)**

**Darth: (paints DX on the Death Star)**

**Palpypie: ah come on!**

**Blaze: (laughs) here's chapter 4 and I hope you like it**

**

* * *

**

**Four**

* * *

The battle was over but Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel more alone than ever before. The last time he has ever felt this way was when Qui-Gon had been killed during the Invasion of Naboo two years earlier and Obi-Wan knew it had something to do with Anakin. Only about half an hour had gone by since the boy had gone missing but Obi-Wan was even more worried because he could not find Anakin's Force presence in the Force.

_Could he be…?_ Obi-Wan thought before shaking his head. _No, he's not dead, I have to believe that he's not dead._

He was pacing in the dining hall as King Kyva struggled to calm his wife as Gryla sobbed. Obi-Wan knew that Anakin wasn't the only one that had gone missing during the attack and he fervently hoped that the young Prince was all right.

Kyva glanced up at Obi-Wan as the young man continued to pace. "It will do your Padawan and my son no good if you tire yourself out. Please, take a seat, Obi-Wan, and we can discuss how to regain my son and your Padawan," Kyva said softly.

Obi-Wan sighed before walking over to his seat and sitting down, Gryla also sat down and Kyva examined his wife before gazing at Obi-Wan. "I have a feeling that the people who kidnapped my son were apart of the group of humans that have been threatening us and your Padawan just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

"There must be a way we can follow these humans and get my son back," Gryla declared in her heavily accented Basic.

"I cannot say if that is so, it was dark when the humans attacked and I was only lucky that my Padawan contacted me through the Force or else I would never have known what was happening. I do not think anyone would have been able to sense that unless they were Force sensitive and I doubt they would be able to understand what was happening unless they had training. And unless someone had been close enough to Prince Vrylt to get an accurate description of the men, I do not know how to find him," Obi-Wan said softly.

"Can you not contact your Padawan? If these men kidnapped my son and your Padawan at the same time then your Padawan should be with Vrylt," Kyva said.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I have already tried, for some reason, his mind is closed to me. I know enough that he is not dead but I cannot seem to contact him, as if something is blocking me. I think the best bet is…" he began but broke off as a small Alzarian girl walked into the dining hall.

"Your…your Majesty?" the little girl stammered out her huge reptilian eyes were examining the Alzarian's face.

"What is it?" Kyva demanded.

"We have…we have found someone that I think you should speak with. He is…he is one of the humans that was shot during your…during your son's kidnapping," the girl stammered out.

"Where is he?" Gryla demanded angrily her eyes narrowing.

"In the…in the Medbay," the girl stammered out fear glittering in her eyes and, even though she was Alzarian, she couldn't help but remind Obi-Wan of his eleven-year-old Padawan. Anakin was only a boy and yet he was out there, somewhere, alone and Obi-Wan couldn't help but worry about him.

"I want to see him," Gryla said angrily.

"Peace, dear, I think it would be best to send Master Jedi Obi-Wan to speak with him," Kyva said.

Gryla swore under her breath, at least Obi-Wan thought it was swearing, the Alzarian was speaking in her own language but he got the impression that she was swearing. "Fine," she muttered out loud.

"Will you speak with this man and discover where my son and your Padawan have been taken?" Kyva asked turning his gaze to Obi-Wan.

"Of course, your Majesty," Obi-Wan replied lowering his head.

"Escort him to the Medbay," Kyva ordered the little girl who nodded before glancing at Obi-Wan as the Jedi Knight got to his feet before following the girl out of the dining hall. The girl glanced at him before leading the way down the hallway toward the Medbay.

"What's your name, young one?" Obi-Wan asked calmly.

"Lyva," the girl replied in an accented Basic.

"What does it mean?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"Flower," Lyva replied softly. She came to a stop in front of the Medbay before saying something to the Alzarian guard outside of the Medbay in her own language. The guard replied in the same language before stepping aside to allow Lyva and Obi-Wan into the Medbay.

The human was a dark skinned man with light brown eyes that looked filled with pain and anger, he was covered with bacta patches and bandages from where he had been wounded. "I should have guessed they would send the Jedi," the human sneered.

"I only want to know where you have taken the Prince and my Padawan," Obi-Wan replied calmly. Lyva had exited the Medbay and the guard was still standing where he had been when Obi-Wan had entered the Medbay.

The human snorted. "Why should I tell you?" he sneered.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. "You do realize that by keeping information about Prince Vrylt and my Padawan you are betraying the entire Republic. Alzar is a Republic planet, after all, and we Jedi are the protectors of the Republic," he said. "I would be in my right mind to arrest you here and now for your part in the kidnapping of King Kyva's son and my Padawan."

The human snorted though Obi-Wan noticed fear had crossed his gaze. "All right, I'll talk, just don't get hasty, I have a kid and a wife at home," he said.

"We'll start with something simple, why were you targeting Prince Vrylt?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I don't know why but I know this much, we weren't targeting Prince Vrylt, we were targeting your Padawan," the human replied.

"Why?"

"I do not know, the ones who hired us only to kidnap your Padawan and bring him to the Forest of Shadows," the human said and Obi-Wan noticed the man sounded confused.

"Very well," Obi-Wan said narrowing his eyes. "Who was the one that hired you?"

"I do not know, the leader knows but I don't," the human said.

"Who is your leader?"

"He is known as Nylan," the human replied.

"Nylan?" Obi-Wan echoed, he's never heard that name before but it sounded Correllian for some reason.

"Yes, may I please go?" the human asked.

"It will be up to King Kyva whether or not you are to be freed but I will tell him that you gave me the information that I require. I just have one more question," Obi-Wan said. "What is the Forest of Shadows?"

"It is a large expanse of woods, near here. It always looks like night over there and it is very creepy in my opinion," the human replied.

Obi-Wan nodded though he couldn't help but wonder why they would be targeting Anakin and why they would be taking him to this place. He shook his head to clear it as he walked out of the Medbay. He knew one thing, if he wanted to get his Padawan, he would have to make a journey to the Forest of Shadows.

~*~

Anakin moaned as he blinked open his eyes, his head was throbbing and he found himself lying in dark place. He couldn't be sure as to where he was nor as to how long he has been unconscious but he felt as though he has been sleeping for a very long time. He could also sense the dark side around him and he shuddered. Memories began resurfacing and Anakin struggled to gaze around until he spotted the limp form of Prince Vrylt nearby.

"Your Highness?" He said softly as he crawled over to join the young Alzarian. He gently shook the Prince's shoulder and the Prince moaned before blinking open his eyes and gazing around.

"Anakin?" He murmured. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Anakin admitted. He managed to sit up before gazing around and he noticed that he was in a room. He and Vrylt had been placed in a dark room composed only of a cot, a stone table and a small window that was too small for even Anakin to fit through.

It was dark outside, which told Anakin that it was nighttime. _But how is that possible unless I have been unconscious for a full twenty-four hours?_ He wondered silently.

Vrylt frowned before getting to his feet and gazing through the small window. "That's strange, we haven't left Alzar at all, we in the Forest of Shadows," he said.

"Forest of Shadows?" Anakin echoed.

"Yes, it is a creepy place that is dark year round," the Alzarian replied.

_Dark year round? That would explain the sense of the dark side that I have been feeling,_ Anakin thought. He frowned before stretching out with the Force in an attempt to find his master's Force presence.

When he found it, he latched on. _Master?_ He called silently sending the message through the Force.

_Anakin? Where are you? Is Prince Vrylt with you? _Obi-Wan's voice came back almost frantically but Anakin couldn't help but wonder if that frantic worry was only for Prince Vrylt.

_Yes, he's here,_ Anakin replied silently.

_What's the matter, Ani? Are you okay?_ Obi-Wan asked silently. Anakin lowered his head, he didn't know what to make of the fact that Obi-Wan was calling him by the nickname that his mom, Padmé and Qui-Gon used to call him by before Anakin left his mom, Padmé went back to Naboo and Qui-Gon died.

_Y…Yes, I'm fine,_ Anakin replied silently.

_Good, where are you?_

Anakin was about to reply when the door to the room opened and a pale skinned human walked into the room. "Good, you two are awake," the human said coolly. "I was beginning to think that I would have to wake you."

"What do you want? I am Prince Vrylt of Alzar, you have no right to do this," Vrylt snapped angrily.

A cruel smile crossed the human's features. "On the contrary, your Highness, I do because it was not you that I wanted," he said before turning his gaze to Anakin who shrank back.

_Why would he want me? I'm just a Padawan,_ Anakin thought.

"Hello Anakin," the man said coolly.

"W…Who are you?" Anakin stammered out.

"My name is Nylan, I knew that you would be coming here someday, the one who hired me to capture you said you are never far away from the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan," the human said coolly.

"Why did you want me?" Anakin protested.

Nylan laughed coolly. "For one reason and that is for me to know," he retorted coolly.

Anakin glared at Nylan. _Master, where are you?_ He sent through the Force.

_I'm on my way, Anakin, don't worry. I can sense that there's someone with you, who is he?_ Obi-Wan asked silently.

_His name's Nylan, he said he wasn't trying to kidnap Vrylt, he was trying to kidnap me but he won't tell me why he wants me,_ Anakin replied silently.

Obi-Wan sighed silently in the back of Anakin's mind. _I was afraid of that, that's what the human Nylan left behind said. Don't worry, you'll be all right, I'm on my way,_ he said silently.

_Why?_

For a long moment there was only stunned silence and Obi-Wan asked in a shocked, silent voice, _Why what, Anakin?_

_Why are you coming after me? It's just to pick up Prince Vrylt, isn't it? You don't care about me, you never have. The only reason you took me as your Padawan is because Master Qui-Gon told you to,_ Anakin protested angrily and silently.

There was a long moment of silence. _That's not true, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan protested silently._ Sure at first I didn't want you as my Padawan but…_ Obi-Wan broke off as if he just realized what he had said and Anakin felt pain surge throughout his body.

He knew it, he knew that Obi-Wan never wanted him to be his Padawan, he only took Anakin as his Padawan because Qui-Gon told him to.

_Anakin, I didn't mean that,_ Obi-Wan began silently after a few moments of silence but Anakin, too angry to believe Obi-Wan's words, closed his mind to his master and fell into a deep silence.

Vrylt glanced at Anakin. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Yes, I'm fine," Anakin muttered in reply.

Nylan smirked. "I know one thing, the sooner we get my job done, the happier I'll be," he said coolly before he walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him, leaving Anakin alone with Vrylt and his own thoughts

* * *

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: see? This chapter was longer than the last**

**Darth: only by a little bit**

**Blaze: yeah**

**Obi-Wan: why won't Anakin listen to me?**

**Blaze: you told him you never wanted him as your Padawan**

**Obi-Wan: I said at first!**

**Anakin: (scowls angrily, stabs Palpypie and stalks off)**

**Palpypie's Ghost: Nice going, Obi-Wan, you pissed off Anakin**

**Blaze: (presses make alive button, scowls, stabs Palpypie' and stalks off)**

**Obi-Wan: nice going, Palpypie, you pissed off Blaze**

**Palpypie's Ghost: But I didn't say anything**

**Anakin and Blaze: yeah, well we don't like you!**

**Palpypie's Ghost: that's mean**

**Tigerstar: hahahahaha**

**Palpypie: (suddenly made alive) die (kills Tigerstar)**

**Blaze and Anakin: (scowls, stabs Palpypie and stalks off)**

**Tigerstar's Ghost: Nice going, you pissed off Blaze and Anakin **_**again!**_

**Palpypie's Ghost: (scowls angrily)**

**Obi-Wan: (sighs) please review and Blaze will post chapter 5 as soon as she can get at least (frowns as he tries to read the note) twenty reviews? Yeah, I think that says twenty reviews so yeah.**


	5. Five

**Blaze: time for chapter 5**

**Darth: why do you always begin the chapter like this?**

**Blaze: cause I want to, what's it to you?**

**Blaze: Darth?**

**Blaze: ah damn it, not again**

**Palpypie: what happened to him?**

**Dooku: I haven't the slightest clue**

**Blaze: DIE! (Pulls out nuclear bomb)**

**Palpypie: Lord Tyrannus, help me!**

**Blaze: leave, Dooku, and I'll spare your life**

**Dooku: (hitches a ride on a random plane to hide in Spain)**

**Palpypie: Lord Maul, help me!**

**Maul: Hello? I'm in pieces, I can't help you if I wanted to**

**Palpypie: Lord Vader, help me!**

**Vader: (drinking a cappuccino) screw you**

**Blaze: (tosses nuclear bomb at Palpypie before tossing the bomb and Palpypie onto Mustafar)**

**Palpypie's Ghost: that wasn't nice**

**Blaze: (laughs) here's chapter 5 and I hope you like it**

* * *

**Five**

* * *

Obi-Wan felt slightly somber ever since Anakin cut communications with him through the Force. He knew that he hurt the boy bad when he told him that he didn't want him as his Padawan at first. Obi-Wan let out a long sigh before gazing at the large forest that loomed in front of him like an imposing shadow, untouched by the sun that blazed ahead.

Alzar was an interesting planet to behold and Obi-Wan found the Forest of Shadows to be the most interesting part. And he knew that was because the forest was so thickly covered with canopies of branches and leaves that no light penetrated the canopy. Obi-Wan knew the real reason he was doing this wasn't because he wanted to save the Prince's life, he wanted to save his Padawan's life.

Anakin was in pain, emotional pain that radiated through the Force like a flame in the darkest of nights. Obi-Wan sensed it but whenever he attempted to contact Anakin and try to mend the wound, Anakin would close his mind to him. Obi-Wan didn't know how else he would be able to find the boy.

He gazed around before stretching out with the Force to make sure there were no ambushes coming at him from behind and then he leapt into the forest and slowly made his way deeper into the shadows.

Obi-Wan knew that a small part of him didn't want Anakin as his Padawan, it was Qui-Gon's dying wish and Obi-Wan acknowledged it. But in the last two years since Anakin became his Padawan, Obi-Wan couldn't help but wonder if he had truly taking on Anakin just because of Qui-Gon.

_Was I only deceiving myself when I believed I could train Anakin even though Qui-Gon was the one that was meant to train him?_ Obi-Wan wondered silently as he made his way deeper into the forest, sticking close to the shadows just in case someone was following him.

Ever since Qui-Gon died, Obi-Wan has been questioning his actions on taking Anakin as his Padawan. Maybe Yoda was right, maybe Anakin was too old to be trained as a Jedi and maybe Obi-Wan was deceiving himself into thinking he could train Anakin to the best of his ability, train Anakin as well as Qui-Gon trained him.

The somber feeling still surged through Obi-Wan's veins and he could feel the same sadness coming through the Force from the small boy he had taken on. He knew his words had cut deep wounds in Anakin and Obi-Wan was afraid that he would never be able to heal those wounds. Their relationship has master and apprentice was rocky, even though two years had past, and Obi-Wan had often got the feeling that Anakin blamed himself for the fall outs they often had.

It wasn't Anakin's fault, though, and Obi-Wan knew it, it was his own fault. He was the one that was causing the problems between them. It was his grief at his master's passing and determination to turn Anakin into a Jedi because Qui-Gon wanted him to that caused many of the fall outs between himself and Anakin.

Obi-Wan knew he needed to right the wrong he committed when he told Anakin he didn't want him as his Padawan at first but every time he tried to contact his apprentice, Anakin would shut his mind to him. Obi-Wan frowned, he knew that Anakin believed the only reason he was coming after him was to rescue King Kyva's son but Obi-Wan knew the real reason.

The dull ache of sadness that Obi-Wan still felt since his master's death was starting to fade in his determination to find his Padawan and convince him the truth. He didn't want Anakin as his Padawan at first but now he did, and not just to honor Qui-Gon's last request. Anakin was the Chosen One, Qui-Gon believed it and now Obi-Wan believed it as well. And that wasn't all, there was a bond between them and Obi-Wan wouldn't be in his right mind if he ignored that bond.

He liked Anakin, the boy was very helpful when it came to tinkering with ships as he liked to call it. He was very energetic and reckless but there was something about his nature that reminded Obi-Wan slightly of himself. Sure he was hotheaded and stubborn but Obi-Wan remembered the times when he was that way during his apprentice years with Qui-Gon.

The boy reminded Obi-Wan of himself at that age, the only difference was that Anakin had known his mother while as Obi-Wan had been brought to the Jedi Temple in infancy. Obi-Wan knew that he could learn much from Anakin just as Anakin could learn much from him.

The memory of what Anakin had told him before he closed his mind to him nearly caused him to stumble. The kidnappers never wanted Prince Vrylt, they wanted Anakin but Obi-Wan, for the life of him, couldn't figure out why they would want the boy. _There has to be a reason behind this,_ Obi-Wan thought as he continued to make his way through the Forest. Once again he reached out with the Force and once again Anakin shut his mind to him.

_Anakin, you have to listen to me, those kidnappers are planning something but I can't figure out what. I know you're angry with me but give me a chance to explain,_ he called silently through the Force but once again Anakin ignored him and Obi-Wan swore under his breath as he leapt over an upturned root and continued to make his way through the forest.

He had to convince Anakin to open his mind to him or else Obi-Wan will never find him or, worse, he'll find him too late. Obi-Wan had a feeling that the boy was in deep danger and he didn't know what he would do if he lost Anakin just as he lost his master two years ago. He pushed the somber thoughts to the back of his mind as he stopped in a clearing and gazed around, struggling to find where he was.

_Anakin_? He called silently but Anakin once again ignored him.

Obi-Wan scowled at Anakin's stubbornness before reminding himself about the times when he believed Qui-Gon didn't want him as his Padawan when they met at the Agricultural Corps. He took a deep breath to calm himself before stretching out with the Force.

_Anakin, Vrylt's parents are worried sick about him, I need you to open your mind to me so that I can locate you,_ he called silently, deciding on a different tactic though he knew it would make Anakin's resentment and pain increase when it became more obvious that Obi-Wan was only trying to find him to find Vrylt.

But Obi-Wan knew that wasn't true and when Vrylt is safely back with his parents and Anakin is safely back with him, Obi-Wan will explain everything to him. He will explain the truth to Anakin, one way or another.

Sure enough, Anakin's voice replied and it was filled with sadness and pain, _fine Master, we're in this cavern of some sort. I'm not sure how far we are in to the Forest of Shadows but I know we are in a clearing because I see at least three yards of grass between the room I'm in and the trees,_ he said silently.

_Just keep your mind open, Anakin, I'll find you, I promise you I will,_ Obi-Wan promised silently. He had said 'you' and not 'Prince Vrylt' on purpose but he couldn't tell if Anakin knew that. The boy was still convinced Obi-Wan didn't want him, the pain and sadness he was projecting through the Force was confirmation of that but Obi-Wan knew in his heart that what he said was true. He did want the boy, he truly wanted Anakin as his Padawan, and Obi-Wan wasn't too sure as to what he would do if he lost Anakin.

~*~

_Just keep your mind open, Anakin, I'll find you, I promise you I will,_ Obi-Wan's words repeated themselves in Anakin's mind and he somberly did just that. He knew that Obi-Wan was only saying that so Anakin would help him find Vrylt. He would most likely just leave Anakin there and carry Vrylt off to his parents before heading back to Coruscant.

Before Anakin could brood on his thoughts any longer, the kidnapper walked into the room. Now that there was a little light in the room from a nearby lantern, Anakin could make out the facial features of the man in front of him. His eyes were sunken in and darker than the shadows outside and he had a hawk-like nose with a pointy tip.

For a moment, Nylan stayed silent and Anakin once again thought about his words from earlier. He wasn't sure how long ago it had been but he remembered Nylan saying something about the sooner he gets his job doing, the happier he'll be. _But what is his job?_ Anakin wondered silently.

Vrylt turned his head to Nylan, he had been silent ever since Nylan had left them the first time but now he looked as though he wanted to strangle the life out of Nylan. "I demand that you release me," Vrylt commanded breaking the silence that had entered the room.

Nylan smirked. "I cannot do that, your Highness, you are the only one that will help me complete my job," he replied coolly.

"What is your job?" Vrylt demanded. "And why am I so important in this? You said it yourself, you had been intended to capture Anakin, not me!"

"Indeed but my mission is more than that, I was sent to capture Anakin and deliver him to my payer but I have another mission as well and that is to make sure no one stands in my way to deliver the boy to my payer," Nylan replied coolly.

"Who is your payer?" Anakin protested.

Nylan smirked coolly. "He did not give me his full name, he said he went by Sidious," he replied.

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: yay!**

**Darth: why are you so happy about that?**

**Blaze: I don't know but to say the least, this is AU mainly because I know Sidious's name is not mentioned until Attack of the Clones**

**Palpypie Sissyface: stop calling me that!**

**Blaze: nah**

**Palpypie Sissyface: (scowls)**

**Blaze: like I said, this is a short story, much shorter than **_**Shadows of Alontia**_** and I think there are three, maybe, two chapters left**

**Darth: **_**that**_** short?!**

**Blaze: yup**

**Darth: you're a weirdo**

**Blaze: thank you, please review and I'll post chapter six as soon as I possibly can but not until I get at least twenty-eight reviews, I'll gladly accept more however**


	6. Six

**Blaze: yay! Chapter ZIC and okay I lied about the whole 28 reviews thing**

**Darth: Zic? What the hell?**

**Blaze: I said stop typing on my computer, Blondie!**

**Blondie: sorry**

**Darth: what's she doing here?**

**Blaze: she got bored**

**Tigerstar: yay! Another cat!**

**Blondie: (puffs out and hisses angrily)**

**Blaze: whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, Blondie, he's a friend**

**Blondie: (slowly relaxes fur) oh okay**

**Tigerstar: hi, I'm Tigerstar**

**Blondie: I'm Blondie Brat Ferret Snake Cat**

**Tigerstar: why do you have so many names?**

**Blaze: cause some people in my family just don't know what to call her**

**Tigerstar: ah**

**Blaze: what I meant to say was, here's chapter six and I hope you like it and I would say about two chapters, maybe one, until the end. And once again this is AU because some of the events I mentioned never happened in cannon.**

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**Six**

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Anakin frowned as the name echoed in his mind, for some reason the name _Sidious_ sent a shiver of horror go down his spine but he couldn't pinpoint why that was. Vrylt seemed just as confused as he was. "And why does this Sidious want Anakin?" he asked.

Nylan shrugged. "I'm just paid to do the job," he replied before he turned around but before he could walk out of the room, Anakin called him back, another question arising in his mind.

"What is your other job?" he asked.

Nylan smirked. "It is none of your business what I do and do not do but it does have something to do with Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said and then he walked out of the room and Anakin felt a chilly horror surge through him.

He didn't know what Nylan was planning for his master but he knew it wasn't good. In the two years since he has been training, Anakin was able to pick up emotions and discover the true intent of someone and the coldness in Nylan's voice had sent a warning jibe at Anakin and he knew instantly what was going to happen.

Nylan's mission was to murder Obi-Wan.

Anakin started to warn his master but something stopped him for a moment. Obi-Wan didn't want him, he was only coming to save Prince Vrylt but another thought pushed Anakin to contact his master. Obi-Wan was a well respected Jedi Knight, because he was the one that killed the Sith Lord Darth Maul when his master died and if he dies as well, the Jedi Order would be suffering the most.

Anakin may be angry toward his master right now but he knew he couldn't just stand by and watch his fellow Jedi get killed. _Master,_ he called silently.

_What is it, Anakin?_ Obi-Wan's voice came back almost instantly.

_They're after you, if you come here, they're going to kill you,_ Anakin said silently.

There was a long moment of silence and then a faint,_ then that is a risk I will have to take_, echoed in the vaults of Anakin's mind before Obi-Wan withdrew his presence and Anakin frowned.

_Why would Obi-Wan be risking his life to come here?_ He wondered silently. He knew that Obi-Wan knew that Prince Vrylt wasn't in any serious danger so why would he waste his time coming here when he could easily go back to the palace and inform King Kyva that the kidnappers weren't going to harm Vrylt.

He didn't bother asking Obi-Wan what he meant, instead, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He wasn't going to let his fellow Jedi get killed, even if Anakin was pained at the rejection Obi-Wan had basically given him, and he wasn't going to let Vrylt stay in this prison.

He knew he had to get out of here before Obi-Wan reached wherever it is that he was. He got to his feet before glancing at Vrylt. "Come on, your Highness, let's see if we can find a way out of this place," he said.

Vrylt glanced at him. "Why?" he asked. "I am not in immediate danger."

"Yes but Obi-Wan is, if we don't get out of here and Obi-Wan get's killed then…" Before he could finish his statement, understanding dawned on him, this was the plan all along. That was why the kidnappers took Vrylt, it wasn't on accident at all, they wanted Vrylt here so they could have someone to blame.

When the Jedi Order learn of Obi-Wan's death and Anakin's capture, they will come down hard on Alzar, they will seek to bring the Alzarians to justice because the kidnappers will blame the Royal family of Alzar for the death and the capture. Anakin didn't know how he knew this but he did, this Sidious wants the Jedi to interfere in this matter, he wants to cause a conflict to break out between the Jedi and the Alzarians and what better way then to say that the Alzarians were the ones behind the death and capture of two Jedi Knights.

That was they captured Vrylt so they could place him at the scene of the crime and then be the ones to interfere and take Vrylt into custody before they inform the Jedi and the Senate on Coruscant of what happened, lying through their teeth to bring the conflict between Alzar and the Republic.

Anakin honestly didn't know where all this was coming from, he was only eleven and yet his thinking had suppressed even that of the wise Master Yoda, as far as Anakin knew. He shook his head to clear it, still in wonder at his sound thinking and wondering where that thought had come from to being with.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Vrylt asked.

Anakin smiled slightly. "I have a plan…" he said.

~*~

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes when he neared where Anakin's Force signature was radiating brightly through the Force. He knew Anakin had tried to warn him away from this place but Obi-Wan still pressed onward. He wanted to convince Anakin that he was doing this for him and not for Prince Vrylt. He knew that Vrylt would be safe but Anakin was another matter, Anakin was in danger.

Moving into the shadow of a nearby tree, Obi-Wan turned his gaze to the large stone building in front of him. The shadows of the forest highlighted the stone wall and made it stand out in the darkness of the Forest of Shadows. There were pale-skinned and dark-skinned men and women patrolling the area and Obi-Wan knew he had to stay as silent as possible.

He stretched out with the Force but Anakin was ignoring him once again though he still kept his mind open so that Obi-Wan could sense exactly where he was. He noticed instantly that Anakin was planning something and he decided to wait and see how his Padawan's plan fanned out.

It wasn't long before Anakin was in action and Obi-Wan felt as though he was seeing exactly what was going on. It took him a moment to realize Anakin was showing him what was going on without even knowing it and Obi-Wan didn't want to let Anakin know of what was happening. He knew the bond between himself and his Padawan had become much stronger and he knew that was why he was able to see exactly what Anakin was doing.

It was a sound plan and Obi-Wan was beginning to think that it would work, if Nylan hadn't sensed Anakin was going to try something. Obi-Wan winced when he saw Nylan swing something that looked like a stick and it hit Vrylt on the side of the head.

Anakin was still mobilized but when he saw Vrylt on the ground, he started to hesitate. Obi-Wan realized he was trying to reach the main doors to the large building but the brief hesitation cost him much needed time and Nylan was on him.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. He wanted to give his Padawan more time but he knew that his time was running out, especially when Obi-Wan sensed someone was starting to realize he was there. Without glancing over his shoulder, Obi-Wan flipped into the tree before gazing around and, sure enough, two of the guards had made their way toward the tree that Obi-Wan had been hiding behind.

"Sillia, inform Nylan that the Jedi is here," the male guard said.

"How can you be sure, Jarc?" the female guard asked.

"Nylan predicted that it would only take the Jedi this long to reach the headquarters and besides I thought I heard something," Jarc replied.

Sillia snorted. "You are a fool," she snapped. "Why would the Jedi have come this close when he knew we were waiting for him?"

"How would he know we're waiting for him?" Jarc asked confused.

"He's a Jedi and we have a Jedi in the headquarters, you are more stupid than I originally thought."

Jarc snorted. "Says the woman who deserted the group before coming back, begging Nylan to take you back in. No one trusts you, you idiot girl, ever since you revealed to the Republic where Nylan's headquarters where located," he snapped.

Sillia lowered her head and Jarc snorted. "I don't trust you either, Sillia, so you stay here and I will inform Nylan of the Jedi's arrival," he snapped before he jogged away and Sillia was left staring after him before she gazed around. The other guards were busy doing their duty and Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes when he sensed a change in Sillia's presence.

Sillia glanced up once, nodded in the direction deeper in the forest before she turned around and melted away into the shadows. Obi-Wan knew she wanted him to follow her but he also knew that he couldn't trust her. He glanced once more at the headquarters before slowly leaping from tree to tree, staying as silent as a cat, until he reached a clearing a kilometer away form the headquarters. The woman was standing in the center and she was gazing directly at the tree where Obi-Wan was located, her brown hair whipping around her.

"Come on down, Obi-Wan," she called softly and Obi-Wan frowned, he's heard that voice before but it couldn't be. She went missing during a mission to the Mid-Rim a few months following the Invasion of Naboo.

"I have something to tell you, Obi-Wan, get done here already," the woman snapped though she kept her frustration under control, as only a Jedi could. Obi-Wan sighed, he sensed no deceit in this woman and he felt he should know her but her name was eluding him somehow.

He flipped off of the tree before landing in front of the woman. "Who are you?" he asked as he examined the woman in front of him.

A small smile crossed the woman's facial features and her blue eyes glittered slightly. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?" she asked.

Obi-Wan frowned until understanding hit him. "Siri?" he asked in a low voice.

The woman chuckled. "It's about time," she said.

"But what are you doing here? Everyone knew you went missing when you were on that mission to uncover the headquarters of the Assassin's Ring," Obi-Wan said. The Assassin's Ring was a group of smugglers, assassins, spies and kidnappers who mostly used their time to make a profit by getting hired by people to smuggle, kill, kidnap or spy on someone. It was a secret organization that was at a disarray ever since the headquarters on Anoth was discovered.

Siri smiled slightly. "I've been undercover within the Assassin's Ring since the mission was a failure. The headquarters were at Anoth but they knew we were coming, someone warned them, and they transferred to Nellon and I followed them there. I was able to get within their ranks and also deliver the location of their headquarters to the Republic but Jarc saw me do that and we moved again," she said. "Alzar isn't their permanent residence, they said they are staying here until Nylan's mission was complete and then they will be transferring. I'm only staying long enough to discover who their mission is against and where they are transferring."

"Anakin's with them," Obi-Wan said. "The kidnapper we found at King Kyva's palace at Royal City said that they were after Anakin. And then Anakin told him Nylan's plan was to kill me."

"Why you?" Siri asked.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I don't know, all I know is I have to get Anakin away from here," he replied.

"If you are the one that is in immediate danger, would it not be safer to just return to Royal City and warn the Jedi at the Jedi Temple?" Siri asked.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I had a fall out with Anakin, Siri," he said softly. "Anakin believes that I never wanted him as my Padawan. It was true at first I didn't but now I don't think I can bear it if I see Anakin injured or hurt any more emotionally than he already is."

Siri's eyes softened. "You took on Anakin because it was your master's dying wish but you are now beginning to realize that you had other motive behind choosing Anakin as your Padawan. You wanted to train him, most likely from the very beginning, but you are only just coming to terms with that," she said.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Anakin won't even talk to me about it," he said. "He is only keeping his mind open so that I can find him and I'm a bit worried that when I do, it will be too late."

Siri smiled. "Anakin doesn't understand that you had to come to terms with your new position, it was as if you were walking through a maze of darkness, the darkness being your grief at your master's death and the maze being the twists and turns you've been facing as you try to come to terms with being Anakin's master," she said.

Obi-Wan smiled. "You're logic is sound," he said. "Come, we need to find Anakin and Prince Vrylt and get out of here."

Siri nodded. "I need to get back, Jarc is expecting me to be at my post but he hasn't come back yet from telling Nylan. If you want, I can go in and get Anakin for you," she said.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "You have your own mission to worry about, Siri," he said. "You need to think about finding the location of Nylan's next headquarters. Anakin is my Padawan so I will be the one to get him out."

Siri nodded before shifting the cloak she wore over her shoulders aside and she pulled out the hilt of a lightsaber. She placed it in Obi-Wan's hand before closing his fingers around it. "Just in case," she said and then she melted away into the shadows and Obi-Wan was left with only the lingering feeling of Siri's hands on his own.

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: okay, that was chapter 6**

**Darth: aren't you going to elaborate on Siri and Obi-Wan?**

**Blaze: no**

**Darth: why not?**

**Blaze: cause I can't write romance**

**Darth: oh okay**

**Blaze: so please review and I'll post the next chapter as soon as I possibly can**


	7. Seven

**Blaze: this is the last chapter and the next chapter is the Epilogue**

**Darth: wow, this is a short story**

**Blaze: yup**

**Tigerstar: way shorter than **_**Shadows of Alontia**_

**Blaze: once again, yup**

**Tigerstar: so this is the last chapter?**

**Blaze: well technically the next chapter is**

**Tigerstar: so Anakin is…**

**Blaze: (ignites lightsaber)**

**Tigerstar: (swallows, runs off, trips over Blondie and goes rolling into a pool of chocolate)**

**Blondie: ow!**

**Blaze: sorry about that, here's chapter seven and I hope that you like it**

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**Seven**

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Anakin knew something was up but he just couldn't figure out what it was as he attempted to avoid Nylan who was scowling angrily at him. Though Anakin was weaponless, he still had the agility to keep himself moving and way from the blaster that had knocked Vrylt unconscious.

To say the least, his plan backfired on him, he honestly hadn't expected Nylan to be waiting for him to try and escape. Anakin narrowed his eyes before dodging out of the way to avoid a stun bolt that was sent ricocheting off of the walls of the stone building. He now knew that he was in a headquarters of some sort but he honestly didn't know where he was.

"Who exactly are you?" Anakin asked dodging out of the way before flipping backwards to avoid two stun bolts sent at him.

"That is none of your business, stay still and I will not harm you," Nylan snapped.

"I'm going to just sit aside and watch you murder my master," Anakin snapped not realizing he had said 'my master' instead of 'Obi-Wan' and he felt as if he truly meant what he said when he did realize it. Obi-Wan was his master, even if he didn't want him, and Anakin couldn't just stand by and watch his master get murdered.

Nylan snarled in fury. "He doesn't want you," he snapped. "He only did it because he had to. That's right," he added in response to the shocked look in Anakin's eyes, "I know all about that. I know that Kenobi was only honoring his master's last wishes, Sidious told me everything."

_How the Force did this Sidious know all this?_ Anakin wondered silently and Nylan's words distracted him just enough and a stun bolt caught Anakin in the side and sent him skidding to lie beside Vrylt.

"Sleemo," he snapped though he couldn't raise his head. The stun bolt only paralyzed him temporarily and Anakin had to hope that Obi-Wan decided not to ignore Anakin's warning and stay away from this place

Unfortunately, that wasn't true for a lightsaber suddenly ignited behind Nylan and he whirled around in time to see Obi-Wan walking calmly into the headquarters, his gray-blue eyes were narrowed and his posture suggested that he was ready for battle.

"How the kriff did you get passed the guards?" Nylan snarled.

A small smile crossed Obi-Wan's facial features. "They were easily persuade to stay out of my way," he said. "Now then, I came for Prince Vrylt and my Padawan so if you will kindly hand them over, I'll leave in peace."

Nylan snarled. "You will do no such thing," he said angrily before pressing a button on his wrist and the sound of rolling came to Anakin. He glanced up, his eyes widening in shock when he saw the destroyer droids, droidekas, roll into the room.

"Master, destroyers!" he called hoarsely and Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes as he examined the droidekas that were rolling into the room.

"So this is how you plan to kill me?" he asked and Anakin felt satisfaction rise up inside him at the shocked look on Nylan's face. The moment of distraction was just enough and Obi-Wan flipped forward, his blue lightsaber flashing rapidly as he attacked the droidekas before they had a chance to unroll and activate their shields.

Nylan's eyes flared with anger as he glared at Anakin who, with the stun wearing off, was starting to sit up. "You!" he hissed angrily. "You warned him!"

"No, he just happened to know what was going to happen," Anakin retorted his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Anakin, stop antagonizing Nylan," Vrylt moaned as he stirred, blinked open his eyes and sat up slowly, his hand resting on his head.

"Couldn't help it," Anakin replied with a shrug. He smiled gently at Vrylt. "Sorry I got you into that mess."

Vrylt smiled back. "It was my idea to try and take back our weapons while you distracted Nylan so I guess this is partially my fault," he said.

Anakin smiled before glancing at Obi-Wan who had managed to destroy the last of the droids and was now facing Nylan, his eyes narrowed. "I'll ask once again, Nylan, what do you plan to gain from this? If you do manage to kill me, you will have to face the entire Jedi Order who will be seeking to bring you to justice," he said.

"Master, I think that's why they brought Vrylt," Anakin called. "They plan to blame the Alzarians for your death and my capture and then lie their way out of the mess by saying they tried to stop the attack but weren't able to do so."

"What?" Vrylt exclaimed. "The Alzarians have always been friendly toward the Republic and the Jedi Order, we would never do such a thing."

Nylan snarled. "It would have worked perfectly if you hadn't warned your precious master," he hissed glaring at Anakin. "You still did this even though your master never wanted you? You warned the master that doesn't even care about you? Wouldn't you be glad to see the master that never wanted you to be killed?"

Obi-Wan had flinched at those two jibes but Anakin held Nylan's gaze definitely. "I admit that I am pretty upset that my master doesn't care about me or want me but he is my fellow Jedi and it is only for the Jedi Order that I stick up for him now," he said.

He was surprised when he felt pride come at him from Obi-Wan but he pushed it away as he continued to hold Nylan's gaze. Vrylt had disappeared from his side and was slowly making his way over to where Anakin's lightsaber was lying. Anakin had given Vrylt the signal to start moving when he started speaking and Vrylt seemed to be wasting no time.

"Very well then, I know I will not get my payment but you two are starting to annoy me," Nylan sneered before he let loose a series of blaster bolts toward Anakin who squeezed his eyes shut and prepare himself for the pain…that never came.

Anakin's eyes shot wide with shock when he heard the hum of a lightsaber and saw his master's blue blade in front of him, easily deflecting the three shots that had been aimed at him. He stared at his master in shock but Obi-Wan's eyes were locked on Nylan as the kidnapper snarled before letting loose another series of blaster bolts.

At that instant, Vrylt managed to grab Anakin's lightsaber. "Anakin!" he shouted before tossing the lightsaber into the air and Anakin stretched out with the Force before pulling the lightsaber to him. He ignited the brilliant blue blade before leaping forward as Nylan, sneering in fury, sent a series of blaster bolts at Vrylt.

Anakin easily deflected them as he remembered the training sessions he had with Master Yoda back at the Jedi Temple. Nylan managed to push another button on his remote before muttering something Anakin couldn't understand into the comlink and four more people, dressed similar to Nylan, emerged from nearby rooms and doorways, each of them had blasters in their hands.

"You are outnumbered, you will not be able to escape from this," Nylan snarled in fury and the room instantly exploded with a volley of blaster fire.

~*~

Obi-Wan had to take a deep breath to calm himself as blaster bolts upon blaster bolts flew at him. He deflected them swiftly as he and Anakin slowly backed up, keeping Vrylt in between them. Vrylt had managed to get his hands on a blaster and was releasing blaster bolts toward anyone that he could see.

Obi-Wan admired Vrylt's courage and he felt pride go through him at Anakin's rapid movements to keep the blaster bolts from getting past them and hitting Vrylt. _He will become a great Jedi Knight someday,_ Obi-Wan thought as he continued to block bolt after bolt after bolt as they flew rapidly at him.

Unfortunately, one blaster bolt got past Obi-Wan's lightsaber and sank deep into his shoulder, a small cry of pain tore from Obi-Wan's lips and his lightsaber fell out of his grip, deactivating before it hit the ground. At a quick warning from the Alzarian Prince, Obi-Wan dropped to the ground and Vrylt instantly fired on the person that had fired at Obi-Wan, catching him right in the chest and sending him flying backwards.

Nylan chuckled sinisterly. "You are weaponless, Obi-Wan," he said and Obi-Wan whirled around in time to see Nylan with his blaster pointing to Anakin's head. Vrylt had his blaster trained on Nylan but with Anakin in the way, Obi-Wan knew he couldn't take the shot.

Obi-Wan gazed around and noticed one of the three remaining people had grabbed his lightsaber and was holding it tightly. He also realized that the woman who had grabbed his lightsaber was Siri. Siri nodded once before melting into the shadows and Obi-Wan smiled slightly, knowing what Siri was trying to tell him.

"Release the boy and you win," Obi-Wan said turning his gaze to Nylan.

"Master no," Anakin protested struggling in Nylan's grip.

Nylan chuckled. "You're giving your life for this pathetic boy, you are more of a fool than I originally thought," he said coolly.

"I did not say I would give my life," Obi-Wan said. "All I am saying is you are right, I am weaponless and I'm sure you would like to take the shot yourself instead of having your imbecile lackeys doing it." He made a mental note to apologize to Siri for calling her an imbecile lackey.

Nylan smiled coolly. "I kill you, I take the boy to my payer, I get paid my due, sounds reasonable," he said before he pushed the boy away and fixed his blaster on Obi-Wan.

_Get Prince Vrylt out of here,_ Obi-Wan called silently to Anakin, his hand grasping Siri's lightsaber that he had hidden up the sleeve of his cloak.

_I'm not leaving to let you get killed,_ Anakin protested silently.

_Then tell Vrylt to get out of here, Ani, and get ready to defend yourself, I'll be fine,_ Obi-Wan replied silently. He could sense that Anakin was torn but he nodded once before murmuring something to Vrylt who protested before scowling and nodding when Anakin said something else. While Nylan's attention was on Obi-Wan, Vrylt sneaked past him, slammed the blaster against the head of one of the lackeys and hurried out of the room. The other two didn't even notice and Obi-Wan had a feeling Siri had something to do with that.

Nylan smirked. "Any last words to your precious Padawan?" he asked.

"Only this, Anakin, now!" he shouted and Anakin nodded before igniting his lightsaber and leaping at Nylan's last lackey. When Nylan snarled in fury and released the blaster bolt at Obi-Wan, he instantly ignited Siri's purple lightsaber and easily deflected the blow, sending it ricocheting off of the floor and down a nearby hallway.,

"What the…?" Nylan exclaimed but kept shooting, blaster bolts upon blaster bolts flying at Obi-Wan who instantly deflected them even with the pain in his shoulder. Anakin had knocked the last lackey unconscious and Siri had disappeared down a nearby hallway. Anakin flipped over Nylan before pointing his lightsaber to Nylan's throat and Obi-Wan did the same.

"You…you tricked me!" Nylan exclaimed.

"No, I merely stretched the truth," Obi-Wan replied calmly. "Now then, Anakin, Prince Vrylt and I are leaving. If you do not attempt to stop us, we will let you go."

Shock glittered in Nylan's eyes and even Anakin glanced at him in shock. "What?" Nylan said.

"I said, if you let us go without trying to kill us, I will not tell the Republic, and the Jedi Order, of your location," Obi-Wan replied calmly. The main reason he was doing this was because he knew it was Siri's mission to find out the next location of Nylan's headquarters and he wasn't going to jeopardize his friendship with Siri by solving her mission for her.

Nylan snarled but nodded once. "Fine, I agree," he said.

"Your blaster?"

Nylan glared at Obi-Wan before placing the blaster in Obi-Wan's hand. Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber before nodding to Anakin to do the same. Anakin hesitated but did as he was told and Nylan glared once again at Obi-Wan before he turned around and ran as fast as he could down the hallway Siri had taken.

"Why did you let him go?" Anakin asked, his voice was subdued with the sadness that he felt ever since Obi-Wan told him that he never wanted him as his Padawan and Obi-Wan felt a pang at that. He was going to have to talk with his Padawan but now was not the time.

Obi-Wan smiled. "A Jedi does not take a life unless he absolutely needs to," he replied. "Come, let's get going and bring Prince Vrylt back to his father."

"Okay," Anakin murmured before leading the way out of the stone building. Obi-Wan walked at the rear of the group, struggling to gather his thoughts and he thought about what Siri had told him.

_Anakin doesn't understand that you had to come to terms with your new position, it was as if you were walking through a maze of darkness, the darkness being your grief at your master's death and the maze being the twists and turns you've been facing as you try to come to terms with being Anakin's master,_ she had said and Obi-Wan knew now that she was right and he also knew that he had overcome the maze, he had found his way out of the darkness that was his own grief and he escaped the maze that was the twists he's been facing and overcoming.

Siri was right, Obi-Wan had to travel through a maze of darkness in order to come to terms with being Anakin's master and now he had done that and he had to hope he'll be able to train Anakin to the best of his ability, just as Qui-Gon had done with him.

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: next is the epilogue and it takes place a day later**

**Darth: that's cool**

**Blaze: yeah**

**Darth: is this a short author's note?**

**Blaze: yup cause I don't feel good**

**Tigerstar: what's the matter?**

**Blaze: I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT! (Pulls out chain saw and saws Palpypie in half)**

**Hades: stop doing that!**

**Blaze: please review and I'll post the Epilogue as soon as I possibly can**


	8. Epilogue

**Blaze: yay, its' the final chapter**

**Darth: wow, this was a short story**

**Blaze: yup I know**

**Darth: then again, it was about the same length as **_**To Wish Upon a Star**_

**Blaze: yup**

**Darth: what's the matter with you?**

**Blaze: I haven't had candy in twenty-four hours**

**Tigerstar: oh no, run! (Takes off running to hide in a hole)**

**Palpypie: hey! This is my hole!**

**Tigerstar: buzz off, Palpypie Sissyface (tosses Palpypie out of the hole before hiding in it)**

**Blaze: (slices Palpypie Sissyface in half)**

**Hades: why won't anyone listen to me?**

**Blaze: (laughs) here's the epilogue and I hope you like it**

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**Epilogue**

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_One day later…_

It took a day for Obi-Wan, Anakin and Vrylt to make their way back to Royal City and Anakin felt a bit glad to be surrounded by more than just one person, as he had been for the past few days. He glanced at his friend and Vrylt smiled at him before glancing up as King Kyva made his way down from the palace, Queen Gryla just behind him.

"Oh my baby!" Gryla cried rushing forward, grabbing Vrylt in her arms and very nearly squeezing the life out of him.

"I'm okay, mother, I'm okay," Vrylt managed to gasp out and Gryla let him go before putting her arm around him and looking at Obi-Wan.

"Thank you, Master Jedi, thank you," Gryla said lowering her head.

"You are most welcome, your Majesty," Obi-Wan replied lowering his head.

Kyva smiled slightly. "Come, why don't we go inside?" he suggested. Anakin followed Obi-Wan as he followed the royal couple into the ruined courtyard of the palace. Vrylt dropped back to join him and glanced at him.

"What's the matter, Anakin?" he asked.

"It's nothing, your Highness," Anakin murmured in reply.

Vrylt smiled slightly. "Call me Vrylt, Anakin," he said. "We've been together for a few days now and I do consider you a friend after all."

"Okay Vrylt."

"Are you worried about Obi-Wan?" Vrylt asked and Anakin noticed he was gesturing toward Anakin's wounded master. The blaster wound on Obi-Wan's shoulder was a serious one but Obi-Wan refused to let Vrylt take a look at it when they were leaving Nylan's headquarters.

Anakin shrugged. "It's not like he'd care if I was worried or not," he murmured.

Vrylt smiled slightly. "Anakin, didn't you warn him to stay away from here?" he asked, when Anakin nodded, he went on, "Obi-Wan still came to rescue you, Anakin, even though he knew he was risking his life to do so."

"He was only doing it to save you," Anakin murmured.

Vrylt shook his head. "I don't believe that and neither do you," he said before he walked over to join his parents, leaving Anakin to think about what he had said.

~*~

After getting his wound seen to, Obi-Wan made his way into the dining hall to join the royal family and Anakin who had stayed behind with Vrylt. Anakin once again ignored him and Obi-Wan had to bit his lip to keep from sighing and he kept reminding himself of Siri's words.

"So those kidnappers were going to get paid to deliver you to this Sidious?" Kyva asked.

Anakin nodded. "Yes," he replied. "They were also going to get paid for killing Obi-Wan and blaming the Alzarian Royal Family on it."

Kyva's eyes narrowed. "But we are friendly toward the Republic and the Jedi, we would never do that," he protested.

"That's what I said," Vrylt added.

Anakin nodded. "I know but that's why they kidnapped Vrylt, it wasn't on accident. They wanted him there so they could but the blame on him, most likely provide false evidence against him and thereby cause the Jedi Order to come and bring the Alzarian Royal family to justice, thereby igniting a conflict between Alzar and the Republic," he said.

Obi-Wan felt a flash of pride go through him at Anakin's logical thinking but he stayed silent as Anakin finished his story. Kyva nodded before he glanced at Obi-Wan. "You will be informing the Jedi Order and the Senate on what occurred here, will you not, Master Jedi?" he asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "We need to figure out who this Sidious is, I have a gut feeling and I hope that I am wrong but I cannot be sure," he said.

"Who do you believe this Sidious is?" Gryla asked.

"I believe he is the master of the Sith Lord that killed my master at the Invasion of Naboo," Obi-Wan replied.

Anakin frowned. "Master Windu said that there are always two, the master and the apprentice, when it came to Sith. With the Sith Lord who killed Qui-Gon dead, wouldn't that mean the master will now be looking for a new apprentice?" he asked.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, Anakin was right again and, if this Sidious truly was the master of the Sith Lord that killed Qui-Gon then Anakin was in even more danger than Obi-Wan had originally thought. "It could be," he said. "But that also means if Sidious is this Sith's master then that explains why he was trying to get his hands on you."

Anakin frowned. "What do you mean by that, Master?" he asked, his voice was still quiet as though he really didn't want to talk to Obi-Wan.

"I will explain when we get to our ship," Obi-Wan replied before he turned his gaze to Kyva. "I think its' safe to say Nylan was the human invasion threat you were worried about and now that they are on the run, I do not think Alzar is threatened anymore."

"I agree, thank you for all your help and for bringing my son back to me, Master Jedi," Kyva said lowering his head.

"You are most welcome, if that is all, Anakin and I will be returning to Coruscant," Obi-Wan said standing up.

"Of course, Master Jedi, I wish you well on your journey," Kyva said.

"I hope to see you again, Anakin, you are a great friend," Vrylt said lowering his head to Anakin.

"I hope to see you again too, Vrylt," Anakin replied lowering his head before he followed Obi-Wan out of the room as he led the way toward their ship.

~*~

Anayn put in the coordinates for the Coruscant system almost as soon as he was seated in the cockpit and they had made their way into the space above Alzar. "Are you ready to go?" he asked glancing at Obi-Wan

Obi-Wan nodded once and Anayn pulled the hyperspace lever, the stars disappeared into starlines which in turn disappeared into the bluish white flashes of hyperspace. Anakin, who had been sitting beside Obi-Wan, got to his feet at this time and glanced at Obi-Wan.

"I'll be in the lobby," he murmured before walking out of the cockpit and making his way to a nearby bench.

He hadn't expected Obi-Wan to follow him but he glanced up when his master sat down beside him. "Anakin," he said softly. "We need to talk."

"I know Master," Anakin murmured. _This was it, Obi-Wan is going to tell me that he doesn't want to be my master again and then he's going to say that someone else is going to take me as their Padawan,_ he said.

"I'm proud of you, Anakin."

Those words caught Anakin by surprise and he glanced up sharply at Obi-Wan smiled gently at him. "I know that I have a bit distant with you and I know that you feel as though I don't want you as my Padawan," he murmured.

"You said you didn't," Anakin protested.

Obi-Wan tipped his head to one side, thinking. "No, I said I didn't want to at first," he said. Anakin lowered his head but when he attempted to get up to avoid hearing anything else Obi-Wan had to say, he grabbed his arm before pulling him back down to sit beside him.

"Anakin, I was sad by Qui-Gon's dead, I could hardly think straight. I knew that Qui-Gon wanted me to train you to be a Jedi so I honored his last wish. In truth, it wasn't that I didn't want you, it was that I didn't feel I was ready to take on a Padawan, especially so soon after Qui-Gon's death," Obi-Wan said.

Anakin lowered his head and Obi-Wan glanced at him but Anakin kept his head lowered so as to not show Obi-Wan the tears that were glimmering in his eyes. "Anakin, I know you feel sad and rejected but I never rejected you. I was just coming to terms with my master's death and my own knighthood but I still honored Qui-Gon's last wish," he said.

Obi-Wan let out a long sigh. "Sometimes I blame myself for Qui-Gon's death, I know that if I had been there, if those ray shields hadn't stopped me, Qui-Gon would still be alive. I guess I blamed myself and that was what was keeping me distant toward you. It wasn't that I didn't like you, as your thoughts and feelings say I did, I just couldn't get over the guilt that I was what caused Qui-Gon's death," he said.

Anakin gazed up at him, a single tear cascading down his face and Obi-Wan glanced at him, a bit startled to find him crying. He stretched out a hand before wiping away the stray tear. "Why are you crying?" he asked gently.

Anakin couldn't bear looking at him so he lowered his head. "I was just so angry when you told me you didn't want me as your Padawan at first. I thought you never wanted me as your Padawan, I thought you were only coming to get Vrylt, not me. I thought you were just going to leave me there, bring Vrylt back to his parents and then head back to Coruscant. I…I felt so sad and rejected and I began to wonder if I would have been better off back with Watto on Tatooine," he murmured.

Obi-Wan gently put his arms around Anakin. "I wasn't coming to get Vrylt, Anakin. I knew that he was going to be safe the very instant I learned it had been you who they had been after. Even after you warned me that Nylan wanted to kill me, I still went anyway," he said. "I didn't care about my life, all I wanted was to get you out of there alive, even if I died in the process."

"But why? Why would you give your life for me? You're a great Jedi, you killed a Sith and you are one of the most respected Jedi in the Order. I'm nothing, Nylan's right, I'm just a pathetic boy."

"Don't ever say that, Anakin," Obi-Wan snapped. "You are not pathetic, Nylan was an idiot. I may have killed a Sith but I wouldn't have been able to do that if it wasn't for Qui-Gon. Besides, how many nine-year-old boys blow up a droid command station on accident?"

Anakin couldn't help but smile at that but sadness continued to claw at him. Obi-Wan gently picked the boy in his lap, in spite of the fact that he was eleven, before hugging him. "I would never let anything happen to you, Anakin. I only wish you had given me a chance to explain myself before you shut your mind to me," he murmured.

Anakin gazed up at him. "What do you mean, explain yourself?" he asked.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "Anakin, I do want you as my Padawan, I just had to come to terms with Qui-Gon's death and my new role as master," he said. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. I've already lost Qui-Gon, I don't think I could bear it if I lost you too."

"Why?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan gazed at him. "I looked up to Qui-Gon as my father figure," he said. "He was always there for me and then he died. I look to you as the brother I never had and I don't think I could bear it if I lost you just as I lost my father figure."

"You look to me as your brother?" Anakin echoed sounding a bit shocked.

"Yes, you are my brother, Anakin and I do love you, just as any brother would love his sibling. I wish that I had been a better mentor toward you and not allow myself to stay stranded in the darkness of my own grief," Obi-Wan replied keeping his arms around Anakin. "It took someone else to open my eyes, however, and if I ever see her again, I'm going to have to thank her."

"Who?" Anakin asked.

"Siri Tachi," Obi-Wan replied before gesturing to the second lightsaber on his belt. "Siri was undercover in Nylan's group so that she could discover the next location of his headquarters, that was why I let him live and leave unharmed. She told me that I was walking in a maze of darkness, the maze being my coming to terms with knighthood and my new role as master, and the darkness being my grief at Qui-Gon's death. She was the one that allowed me to see reality as it truly is, she helped me to finally release the dull ache of sadness I felt when Qui-Gon died. And she was the one that allowed me to believe what Qui-Gon has always believed, that you are the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force. She also allowed me to believe that I can train you to the best of my ability, just as Qui-Gon trained me."

Anakin smiled slightly, he could hear the truth in his words and he felt his spirit's lift slightly. "So, in other words, in order to accept me truly as your Padawan, you had to come to terms with your knighthood and your new role as well as let go of your grief at Master Qui-Gon's death?" he asked.

"Exactly," Obi-Wan replied smiling slightly.

Anakin smiled as well. "I'm sorry Master," he said.

Obi-Wan frowned. "About what?" he asked.

Anakin lowered his head. "I just am, about everything," he murmured.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Anakin. It is I who should be sorry. I should never have neglected and ignored you just because I was still coming to terms with Qui-Gon's death," Obi-Wan said. He smiled slightly before hugging Anakin again and Anakin felt himself relax in his master's arms.

"You are my brother, Anakin, in everything but blood, and I do love you," Obi-Wan murmured.

"You're the closest thing I have to a father, Master, and I love you too," Anakin replied.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly before placing the eleven year old boy back on the bench. "Now then, why don't you get some sleep? Captain Anayn will inform me when we reach Coruscant," he said.

Anakin shook his head. "I'm not tired," he said.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "You've had a hard few days, Anakin, it's time that you found some well-needed and well-deserved sleep," he said.

Anakin sighed before nodding and resting his head on the stone back of the bench. He closed his eyes. "Good night Obi-Wan," Anakin murmured sleepily.

Just before he fell asleep, he heard Obi-Wan's soft voice, "good night, Ani," and strangely enough, Anakin didn't mind getting called by his childhood nickname. In fact, it felt right coming from his father figure's lips and, for the first time in a long while, Anakin fell asleep, content with the knowledge that he wasn't alone in the world as he once thought.

_----The End----_

**A/n what do you think?**

**Blaze: awwwwwwwwww, I liked that ending**

**Darth: it was cute**

**Tigerstar: awwww it was**

**Anakin: it was cute**

**Obi-Wan: I liked it**

**Palpypie: I thought it was stupid**

**Anakin: (pulls out chain saw)**

**Obi-Wan: (pulls out flame thrower)**

**Tigerstar: (pulls out lightsaber)**

**Darth: (drives up in tank)**

**Blaze: (pulls out candy bow and candy quiver of arrows) kill him!**

**Palpypie: ahhhhh! (Takes off running but gets shot full of Blaze's candy arrows)**

**Palpypie's Ghost: ah come on**

**Blaze: (smiles) well that was the ending of **_**Maze of Darkness**_** and I hope that you liked it, reviews are much appreciated and a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed the earlier chapters, you guys are the best. There will be a sequel entitled _Labyrinth of Memories_ and it is likely going to take place around the time of the Clone Wars. Below is a brief excerpt of the sequel, it can be taking as a summary, and I hope that you will like it:**

**Labyrinth of Memories**

Throughout the years, their friendship had grown beyond a doubt into the most powerful master-apprentice bond in history and but with the upcoming mission weighing on his shoulders, Anakin knew their bond would be tested to the utmost...


End file.
